Artisan, entrepreneur, and impresario, British filmmaker Ridley Scott
accepts the profit motive as the only way to thrive in an industry where
there is little patience for artistic flourishes or overblown expenses.
Yet, while he may pay lip service to the free enterprise system, he is
an unapologetic auteur, committed to using every element of film--from
evocative lighting to digital composition-to overwhelm our senses and
redefine how we perceive the future (Alien, Blade Runner), the past
(1492: The Conquest of Paradise, Gladiator), and the present (Thelma &
Louise, Black Hawk Down).
This collection of interviews follows Scott over twenty-five years as he
perfects the Ridley Scott look, builds his media empire, and reacts to
the twenty-year cult status of Blade Runner. Throughout, he discusses
the triumphs and challenges involved in working with A-list
actors--particularly such women as Susan Sarandon, Sigourney Weaver, and
Demi Moore--and big-budget special effects. Scott emerges as a
consummate English gentleman who acknowledges the legacy of the
futuristic Blade Runner and Alien but who also is adept at taking the
pulse of contemporary American culture.
Unlike many of his colleagues in the U.S., Scott did not attend film
school. Instead, he developed his visual sensibility at London's Royal
College of Art. Years in television production gave Scott the clout and
confidence to revitalize feature filmmaking. He hit the jackpot with
Alien but ran into financial and logistical difficulties with Blade
Runner and Legend. In response he shifted his attention to more
contemporary genres, offering a continental perspective on America in
Black Rain and Thelma & Louise. By the late 1990s, Scott had achieved
both critical and commercial success with Oscar-winning films Gladiator
and Black Hawk Down.
